Heaven's Wings
by smilingxqueen
Summary: She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her. The emotion was too great for her that her heart would ache each time they would be together. But her feelings are not what’s important. Everything’s different. [CloudxAerith] Read and Review, plsss!


Author notes: This is a response to the CloudxAerith 100 theme challenge that I made. The theme was **Darkness**. This is a little bonus from yours truly entitled **Wings**, also from the CloudxAerith 100 theme challenge, with the consideration of **Lucedeoangel** (She was the one who told me where I can get these themes and she agreed to make me use the theme she already reserved… Thanks **Lucedeoangel**!!). Thanks for the reviews guys! I hope you won't get tired of reading my stories!!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything… Period! XD lol

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"Why couldn't he move on?"

Emerald eyes were watching over the disheartened SOLDIER from the Lifestream. The flower girl remained as herself in the place where the consciousness of the dead flowed and swirled about, keeping the character she had when she was alive. She appeared no older than when she died in Sephiroth's hands. It has been three years since she passed on but the guilt that's been eating Cloud's heart greatly affected her. She knew she had to help him move on. It was the only way for her to become one with the Planet.

"Cloud…"

"Gazing at him again, I see?"

Aerith looked for the voice that spoke. Her eyes fell upon a black spiky haired man that was wearing a grin. He was once a strong First Class SOLDIER but he died defending the man Aerith has fallen in love with. This man greatly resembled Cloud. But Cloud was different.

"Hello, Zack…"

"Depressed again?" Zack shook his black head at the image of his friend. "Same old Strife. Couldn't be happy. Why, there's a voluptuous barmaid waiting for him and he couldn't be contented."

"Haha… You're so funny." Aerith said, sarcastically.

"Why I never!" Zack crossed his arms in the front of his chest and he pouted at her. "Of all the girls that were running after me I chose someone who forgot me and ran off with someone that looked like me. Man, Aerith you do know how to break a man's heart."

Aerith rolled her eyes. "Someone who's gotten along with so many girls can never become a lover."

Zack threw his hands up in the air in defeat. "Fine! I give up! I'll sleep for a moment and whenever you feel lonely call me, ok?"

"Only if I get really lonely… Good night, Zack."

With a smirk, the transparent body of the SOLDIER sank into the Mako and became one with the Lifestream.

Aerith sighed and she averted her gaze to the grieving man below.

"Cloud…" She bitterly smiled. "I also remember the memories… Our memories…"

. -+-.

"The first time we met was like a dream… And I never ever wanted to wake up…"

. -+-.

"Hello, Hello?"

Her emerald green eyes stared at amazement at the man lying among her flowers. She had seen that face before. It was when a Mako reactor was bombed. He appeared to her from the flames and he bought a flower from her basket. After that unusual meeting she had never seen him again. But now she had met him again in the place she dearly loved. It was only moments ago when he had come crashing down her church. She was tending to her flowers when he fell, it gave her quite a surprise. Aerith returned to her senses when she heard a moan from the man.

"You okay?"

The man sat up and he shook his blonde spiky hair. Seeing that he was ok Aerith stood up. She clasped her hands behind her back and she leaned towards him.

"This is a church in the Sector 5 slums. You just fell from above. You really gave me a scare."

The man unbelievingly looked up at her. She gazed down at him and she saw his glowing blue eyes, the same gleaming eyes she had somehow seen before.

"I came crashing down?"

His voice was cool and deep like a cascading waterfall. She repeated every word in her mind. The man shot her an inquisitive look. Aerith straightened up and she smiled down at him.

"That's alright. The flowers must have broken your fall. You're lucky."

"Flower bed… is this yours?" He stood up shaking a few dirt from his clothes. "Then he faced her and shrugged. "Sorry about that."

Aerith gazed in wonder at the man before him. He was only a few inches taller than she and he has a milky-white complexion. He had a semi-masculine body and glowing azure eyes. He also had a blonde spiky hair to top it all off.

"That's alright. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place." Aerith walked to the altar and she brushed the dust from the table. "They say grass and flowers won't grow in Midgar. But for some reason, they have no trouble blooming here. She glanced up at the sky and smiled warmly. "I love it here."

The man stared at her as she walked to the flowers and she tended to them. Her gentle hands cupped each petal with love and care. After she had repaired some of the broken flowers she stood up and she beamed at him.

"Don't you remember me?"

The man touched his chin with his gloved hand in thought. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I remember… You were selling flowers."

"Oh! I'm so happy!" Aerith fluttered in happiness. "Thanks for buying my flowers."

She kneeled down again to some broken flowers and she cultivated the soil.

"Say do you have any materia?" She stood up.

The man nodded. "Yes, some. Nowadays you can find materia anywhere."

"But mine is special." Aerith's eyebrows furrowed in debate as she held her hand on her chest. "Its good for absolutely nothing."

"…good for nothing?" The man's eyes widen at her remark then he shrugged. "You just don't know how to use it."

Aerith shook her head. "No, I do. It just doesn't do anything. I feel safe just having it. It was my mother's." She clasped her hands behind her back and she leaned towards him in a childlike manner. "Say, I feel like talking. Do you feel up to it? After all, here we are meeting again."

The man shrugged and he nodded at her.

"I don't mind."

Aerith smiled excitedly at him. "Wait here. I've got to check my flowers. It'll just be a minute."

She ran to her flowers and she checked them one by one. Once she saw a flower bend low to the ground she quickly kneeled and she straightened it. She doesn't mind keeping her hands dirty but if it is the only way to bring happiness to the colorless people of Midgar then she won't complain. While she was sitting by her flowers the man looked around the church gazing at every arc and pillar. When he had grown tired, he approached her. Aerith sensed him but her work was not done yet.

"Just a little longer."

As soon as she saw that everything was alright, she stood up and she twirled to him.

"Oh!" Aerith clasped her hands, joyfully. "Now that you mention it. We don't know each other's names do we?"

"I'm Aerith, the flower girl." She smiled at him with her sweetest smile. "Nice to meet you."

The man scratched the back of his head as a slight blush appeared in his face.

"The name's Cloud…"

. -+-.

"Everything… Each memory. I always had it in my heart."

Aerith clasped her hands in front of his chest as a transparent tear fell from her eyes.

"I… I loved you."

She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her. The emotion was too great for her that her heart would ache each time they would be together. But her feelings are not what's important. Everything's different. She was a Cetra… She knew her duties. She loved the Planet. She loved it because the Planet gives life to everything she holds dear. Her family, her friends… Cloud. She knew what she had to do. What she had to give up… But…

. -+-.

"But if things were normal… If I was normal, would it change everything?"

.-+-.

"Can you hear me?"

Cloud opened his eyes.

"Yeah I hear you… Sorry for what happened."

He had hurt her once but it didn't matter to her. What only matters is here and now. She had to talk to him. There was so much to tell him but time was insufficient.

"Don't worry about it."

Cloud's face was downcast as he remembers his past mistake. She understood him and smiled.

"Oh. Then why don't you really worry about it?" She raised her hand to her chest in confidence. It's what she had right now. With him, she always had the courage to face anything… even death. "And let me handle Sephiroth."

"And Cloud, you take care of yourself." Aerith walked over to a tree and she leaned just a little to smile at the SOLDIER. "So you don't have a breakdown, ok?"

The SOLDIER glanced around. They were in a place with numerous white trees and a path that headed towards the light.

"What is this place?"

Aerith gazed to the sky.

"This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor."

Aerith closed her eyes as she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it."

The flower girl opened her sparkling green eyes and she beamed at the SOLDIER.

"The secret is just up here. At least it should be… I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something."

Aerith waved at the confused SOLDIER happily. She knew it was time.

"Then, I'll be going now."

She ran a few feet away from him and she looked back once more.

"I'll come back when it's all over."

The flower girl continued running. Cloud bewilderedly stared at her back as she ran towards the light.

"Aerith?"

No matter how hard she called for her. No matter how he tried to follow her she never looked back again. As she entered the light at the end of the path, a tear trickled down her pale cheek.

_Goodbye, Cloud…_

. -+-.

She desperately reached to caress the SOLDIER's head but all she could touch was the river of Mako that surrounded her. Aerith slowly retrieved her hand and she held it up her chest, her eyebrows were furrowed in grief.

"Would we still be together?" A tear fell from her glistening green eyes. "If I were… normal?"

"Aerith, is something wrong?"

The flower girl looked back. She smiled as she saw Mr. Wedge, a former member of the AVALANCHE. Aerith slowly shook her head as she wiped the tears.

"Why! We couldn't let our Junior cry like that!" Mr. Wedge peered into the image that Aerith procured from the Lifestream. "Aha! So that's the reason why you have not been talkative these past few days. Tsk! Tsk!"

"Who'd blame her?" Mr. Biggs grinned, he also joined Mr. Wedge in looking at the depressed SOLDIER. "We wouldn't let Cloudy get sad like that…"

Another shadow rose from the Mako. It wasn't as clear an image as Aerith but she knew it was the remnant of a female. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail so that it wouldn't get in her way and her clothing looked like that of a soldier.

"He doesn't look cute wearing a sad face."

Aerith smiled to the late female member of AVALANCHE, Jessie. She averted her gaze to the SOLDIER. She couldn't help being worried. Mr. Wedge, Jessie and Mr. Biggs looked at each other and they beamed at her.

"As your Senior officers, we order you to go down there and cheer old Cloudy up!" They chorused.

Aerith's eyebrows rose. Her heart lightened as she saw the joyful faces of the people before her. She knew they were concerned about him and it made her gain hope.

"But what can I do?" Aerith pouted. "How can I go to him?"

All was silent as their foreheads furrowed in thought. Aerith was beginning to lose hope when another figure began to emerge from the Lifestream.

"Then…"

Zack appeared from the crowd of transparent people. He smiled warmly at her.

"We will be your wings…"


End file.
